In a cloud-RAN (C-RAN) architecture, data transmission between remote radio heads (RRHs) and a baseband unit (BBU) pool is performed by a fronthaul network architecture using a common public radio interface (CPRI) protocol, which includes either a fiber-based network architecture, or an air interface, e.g. radio frequency. This protocol transmits data at a constant bit rate, which means that the data rate is independent of user traffic. That is, the required throughput of CPRI is scaled to cell configurations such as number of antennas or bandwidth of carriers, rather than with user traffic.
Although this new fiber-based network architecture offers numerous benefits to network operators (MNOs), it also gives rise to a new set of challenges; for example, queuing delays.
Moreover, jitter is also an unwanted phenomenon arising from queuing delay. Jitter increases exponentially for high-loaded networks.